Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-08
AN AMERICAN MYSTERY.
cOLONiSTS OF ROANOKE ISLAND
LOST IN 1887.

| LOST IN 1887.
-
-
iheir Descendants Believed TO BE tn
Croatan Indians of lss7-rhe Fact
in n Very Romant,c H,.,o.v-co,s,.,.
VI VIC Dr"a'"ns Of the present Day.
Especial Correspondence
RArrraH N r. lima %
In 1887 Sir w.ltar R.la;o,, san. Ioh,
WITT nth, .,,r.. -. 49,. - wv.
it,. =. ,a.., s..,.. wy" .o,o
.'.nUs " iou'o .0''Ae'nen' oa tne coast OF Ia
away ana almost unknown America. Whit
landed on what is now North Carolina, &nt
established his colony on Roanoke island. A
short while after the departure of the feet To-
England, leaving the colonists behind,
child was born-the first on American soil
To it was given the name Virginia Dare
The new country, so auspiciously settled, wa,
named Virginia, after Engiand's "virgir
| Queen" Elizabeth, and for the same reason
the name Virginia was given the first born
The colonists, when the fleet sailed, were busy
! preparing their rude homes, and had thrown
up a rough fort, after the manner Of the
time, to guard against danger which must
have seemed imaginary, so kind ware the In
dams who lived in that region. The friend
Illness o. the latter was so great that they
aided tho new corners in every way. The
fleet carried to England good tidings Of the
settlers, "in land well watered, with great
abundance OF fish and game, with such grapes
and fruits as have not before been seen by
Enslishmen.
Three years passed and then the mystery
began. 1t had been the plan that in q little
While the ships would return and that the
coionists' numbers would be augmented by
new arrivals from England But it was three
years before relief expedition sailed In
1870 it reached Roanoke. Where were the
coionlstss Echo only answered the question.
Inc people landed, searched the island
thoroughly, but not trace was there OF the
lost colony save the outlines OF the fort and
inc one "oru "ChOAIAN" rudely carved
upon the trunk OF tree There were no IN
clans, and the colonists had evidently left in
a BODY. There were no graves, no evidences
OF conflict; nothing to tell any tale of their
whereabouts The word "Croatan" was
more than meaningless. The ships finally
sailed away with this awful story Of the I'M,
Known.
For tnree centuries on both sides OF the
"a'er' tne most melancholy interest has been
a'."cneo 10 sha1 came 70 Ne known as 1.-The
,os. coiohy OF Roanoke" an interest which
oue oeepeneo as Inc years passed.
80
NO" "mere AM "hat was Croatahf IL was
yen ooun'y' y" Tue Nortn Caronha
'"",i'ahI, ehu acroSs inc SOUND from no
""oAe ~ "as onere inc "hite people Went,
nv oouos ~ sn0 spsc!aA request Oh indian
,rie'oS' VINO PROMISED Them more generous
ianu.
10 bridge, In one sentence, the space OF
'uree c'hturl,sol thme, the county OF hobeson
must pe visited, Tor there rests the other end
Oh Inc mystery OF 1887. The Croatans are In
nooesoh. AS the descendants OF those older
Croatans' whose name was the one link i'll
Guam otherwise iost, ana as the descendants
I, ,nso VI Tue ioS1 coionists Oh Sir waiter ia
'e'sns M ia'eo expeoltlon, they can justly lay
c'ili 10 more Oh romance than any other
lSpp'e vi this coht'hen1.
turing the recent session OF tue North Car
onha legislature, a member from Robson
"r' Hainiioon McMiIan, STARTED
tnought In new direction by asking for spe-
ciai ana ior the Croatan Indians. He de-
ciared that great injustice had been done
them in that they had been classed as negroes.
lie claimed that they were Indians, of a high
class, and of historic name and fame. and
that they desired and deserved separate
schools anu special aid. Three hundred wears
after the colony of White was lost, the de-
'cendants of those colonists petition the legis-
Azure for aid in educating their teachers-a
legislature sitting in a city named after |
faleigh, the patron Of the colony.
The legislature has hearkened to the matter |
md has granted separate schools and special |
nd for normal schools to the Croatans, NEAR
while restoring them to their proper position |
Is Indians and as citizens.
49,
thus the two ends of the chain were picked
Up. 1t now remained to discover the links
'etween. 10 do this visit to the Croatans
'ecame necessary, and in Mr.. McMillans
ohpahy IL was made. The county of Robe
ON Hes on the states southern border, ad-
omipg South Carolina, and hundred miles
rom haielgh. The land there is fertile,
n"cn OF II IN swamp, filled with luxuriant
"Sctation, While there are vast stretches Of